


Even If I Fall, I Can Never Give Up

by K1mHeechu1



Series: It's a Better Place Since You Came Along!Verse [7]
Category: GOT7, NCT (Band), Stray Kids (Band), UNIQ (Band)
Genre: Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Business, Crying, Fainting, Family Feels, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Gen, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Illnesses, M/M, NCTEnt AU, Non-Idol-Idol Au, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Romance, Sickfic, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, bet that's the first time you see that one lol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-25
Updated: 2020-07-12
Packaged: 2021-03-04 03:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24907129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/K1mHeechu1/pseuds/K1mHeechu1
Summary: "Hey, Lucas, please make sure he rests and eats something, he looks exhausted.""Yep, will do.""I don't need a babysitter.""Yes, you do." Five different voices answered from different points of the room, and he rolled his eyes."You're all mean. I’m being bullied by my own friends."Or: 16-years-old Jungwoo has a great family, is about to debut in a boy group, and has the best soulmate ever.It would be... too bad... if something went wrong, wouldn't it?
Relationships: Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul | Ten/Qian Kun, Dong Si Cheng | WinWin/Nakamoto Yuta, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung, Kim Jungwoo/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny, Mark Tuan/Jackson Wang
Series: It's a Better Place Since You Came Along!Verse [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1779235
Comments: 37
Kudos: 198
Collections: June 2020 Prompt Week





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! We get a longer story for this verse!! I reckon this one should be about 4 chapters long, but I'm not sure.  
> The prompt for this one was Babysitting.  
> I highly recommend you to go read the previous works in this series to understand what's going on here if this is the first story you try to read for this verse!  
> Since it's 2.18 AM and I want to go to bed, this is unbetaed. My friend will look at it and then I'll update this with the necessary changes. If I don't post this now I'll probably just get rid of this and never post it lol. (Edit: thanks to my wonderful friend for her hard work,all chapters have been betaed and mistakes have been fixed!)  
> Hope you like it and I'll see you soon with the next chapter!

"WOOWOO!" Jungwoo groaned as he felt himself being back-hugged, before laughing and resting his hands on top of the ones that rested on his stomach, smiling as he felt the tingle that meant his fingers were turning the shade of green he loved the most in the world.

"Hi Xuxi," Lucas let him go, and he turned around. He smiled back and raised a hand to brush a strand of hair away from his forehead, loving the way Lucas' smile widened when he felt the small brush of colour left on his skin. He leaned down to press a soft kiss onto Jungwoo's forehead, sighing against his skin.

"You look lovely in green," Jungwoo chuckled. Lucas had been saying that every single day since they had first met four years ago. Lucas, like Jungwoo, loved the sight of their soulmate bond against his skin, and never refrained from saying it out loud.

"C'mon, let's go up before we're late and Uncle Ten kills us both." They laced their fingers, making their way up to their practice room.

"Jungwoo, Lucas!" They turned around to see Taeil poking his head from one of the offices.

"Hi, Uncle Taeil," they answered in unison, making Taeil smile.

"Hello boys, how are you? Jungwoo, your dad asked me to remind you to pick Hyuckie up from his office when you're ready to go home."

"Oh, sure thing, thank you for letting me know!" 

  
  
  


* * *

"Okay boys, one more time, it's coming together but you're still not hitting the fast part just right." The six boys groaned, and Ten laughed at them. "Yes, I know you're tired. But I promise this is the last one, and you're free to go. It's a short day today, come on, once more!"

They were only doing half the song at the moment, focusing on making every move look sharp and being completely in sync, but the minute and a half the song lasted felt like years for Jungwoo. He was drenched in sweat and panting by the time Ten killed the music. He didn't even bother trying to make it to his water bottle by the wall, he just collapsed in a heap directly where he was, groaning and closing his eyes.

"You ok, Woo-ah?" He gave Seungyoun, who was sitting on the floor next to him a thumbs up.

"Just tired, Hyung, don't worry. Help me up?" He extended his hand and felt himself getting pulled up. He opened his eyes and smiled at his leader. "Thanks, Hyung."

"Are you sure you're okay, though? You're really pale." He felt Woojin touch his forehead from the side and laughed.

"I'm sure, don't worry. We're done for today, I'll go home and rest." 

"Okay, please do. Hey, Lucas," Lucas looked up from where he was getting both his and Jungwoo's backpacks from the back of the room. "Please make sure he rests and eats something, he looks exhausted."

"Yep, will do."

"I don't need a babysitter."

"Yes, you do." Five different voices answered from different points of the room, and he rolled his eyes.

"You're all mean. I’m being bullied by my own friends."

"They're realistic, Woo-ah," Ten said, making all of them jump as they remembered he was still in the room. "Okay, everyone, get the hell out of my practice room, I have a class coming in 5 minutes and you have to go home."

"Thank you!"

"Bye, Uncle Ten!"

  
  
  


* * *

Lucas kept his arm around Jungwoo's waist as they made their way to the top floor. Jungwoo tried to complain but Lucas ignored him, so he gave up and kept walking quietly.

"Hello Sunny-Noona, is my dad free?" His father's secretary smiled at him and nodded.

"Hi, Jungwoo. Yes, he is! You can go right in." Jungwoo smiled back and made his way into the office.

"Hi, dad!" Johnny looked up from his computer, eyes narrowing at the arm around his son's waist, but still smiling at them.

"Hey, baby. You guys done for the day?" 

"Yep! Uncle Taeil told me to get Hyukkie before I went home." Johnny nodded and pointed a finger to the side, where Jungwoo found Donghyuck looking out of the window, headphones presumably blasting music. He patted at Lucas' hand on his hip, which Lucas reluctantly removed, and walked to his brother, tapping a finger on his shoulder to get his attention. Donghyuck turned around and looked at him with wide eyes, before removing his headphones. "Hi, Hyukkie! Want to go home?"

"Hyung!" Donghyuck threw himself at Jungwoo, who laughed before squeezing him in a hug. "I missed you, Hyung."

"We saw each other at breakfast, sunshine."

"Too long."

  
  
  


* * *

Jungwoo loved his little brother.

He had always been good with kids -as the eldest child in the orphanage, he hadn't had any choice but to learn how to take care of them-, but with Donghyuck it was different. He didn't have to help take care of him, they had two parents that would do absolutely anything for them, yet he did it anyway because he loved taking care of his brother.

Jungwoo had been there when he had taken his first steps, had been the very first word his brother had said. Taeyong had sobbed when Donghyuck kept repeating the word 'Hyung' over and over until Jungwoo tickled him into squealing so loudly he could no longer form words, he loved playing with his baby brother as much as he loved singing, it was one of his favourite things in the world and he would totally tell his friends he was not hanging out with them because his little brother had asked him to play with him without an ounce of shame.

Donghyuck adored him too and wasn't afraid of letting anyone know just how awesome his big brother was, how he was his hero and how he wanted to be just like him when he grew up. He savoured the moments when Jungwoo wasn't studying, spending time with his friends or training to debut in his group and he could have his brother all to himself. Well, sometimes Lucas was also there, but he didn't count as other people because he would play with them without any problem, acting like a little kid himself, or do something else while they played and not bother them at all. Or Mark. Mark also didn't bother him.

  
  
  


* * *

"Let's go to the convenience store on our way home, I'm hungry and we can make Xuxi carry everything for us," Jungwoo said as they made their way out of the company building, swinging their arms as they walked hand in hand. 

Lucas whined from where he was walking behind them.

"Hey, I'm your soulmate, not your butler!" 

Donghyuck turned around and pouted at him.

"Please, Lucas-Hyung? I'm reaaaally hungry?" He blinked innocently, puppy eyes at full blast.

"Oi, that's cheating! Woo, your baby brother is too cute. This is not fair, I can't say no to him!"

"Then that settles it. Convenience store and then we let Hyukkie kick our asses at Mario Kart." Donghyuck jumped up and down, squealing happily, before pulling at his arm to make them walk faster.

  
  
  
  


* * *

Jungwoo bit back a smile at the way Taeyong looked at them when he came home and found all three of them lying on the floor of Jungwoo's room.

"Hi, Appa!" Jungwoo smiled at him, and Taeyong sighed.

"Do I even want to know?"

"Hyukkie was tired but wanted to keep playing so Xuxi and I came up with this. And it worked!" Jungwoo looked down to where Donghyuck and Lucas lay with their heads on each of his thighs, both of them deeply asleep. "...I think it worked too well, actually. Can you take Hyukkie while I send Xuxi home, Appa?" Taeyong nodded with a smile, lifting Donghyuck up as if he weighed nothing. Jungwoo never ceased to be amazed by just how strong his father was, even after all these years.

"I'll take the little one, you wake the big one up before Jackson starts calling for him to go back home. Dad will be home in about an hour, what do you think about having pizza for dinner?"

"Sounds great! I'm starving, actually."

"I'll order an extra one, then. Just in case."

"Thanks, Appa."

"No problem, baby. Wake that boy up."

Jungwoo turned his sight towards Lucas as his father left the room, smiling at his sleeping face.

"Xuxi," he said quietly, combing his fringe back with gentle fingers. "Xuxi, wake up!" Lucas whined, pouting as he stirred. "Come on, your dad will come to get you if you don't wake up and then I won't be able to give you goodbye cuddles."

"Cuddles?" Lucas croaked out, sleepily rubbing his eyes as he tried to wake himself up.

"Cuddles. But only if you sit up." Lucas nodded, instantly sitting up and looking at him with hopeful eyes, and Jungwoo rolled his eyes. "Come here you big dumb-dumb!"

Jungwoo loved Lucas' hugs. He was the shorter one of the two of them, as Lucas had hit a growth spurt a few months ago and Jungwoo was still the same height, which meant he was the perfect size to feel tiny when getting cuddled. Lucas always knew just how Jungwoo needed to be hugged, the amount of pressure from the squeeze always perfect, and Jungwoo loved burying his nose in his neck and feeling his skin tingle as the emerald green coloured both their skin, the scent of soap, laundry detergent and something so inherently Lucas always calming him down and making him smile.

"Do I really need to go home?"

"16 hours, Xuxi. We'll see each other in 16 hours. We have a wardrobe test in the morning, my dad will drive us to the company. 16 hours." 

"...16 hours too long, in my opinion."

Jungwoo laughed, breaking the hug and scooting back. Lucas smiled at him, raising his hand to run his thumb over his cheek, both smiling even harder as they felt their soulbond on their skin. Lucas leaned forward and dropped a kiss on Jungwoo's lips, soft and loving.

"I love you."

"I love you. Okay, time to go home. I really don't want my dad to come fetch me again." Lucas sighed and kissed him again before standing up. He offered his hand to haul him up and Jungwoo took it, allowing himself to be pulled up. Lucas hugged his waist, kissing him again, smiling against his lips and sighing before moving back a little.

"Your breath smells fruity. How can your breath smell fruity when you demolished 2 bags of spicy prawn crisps by yourself two hours ago?"

"Magic," Jungwoo answered teasingly, dropping a peck on Lucas' jaw. "Let's go, I'll walk you out. You should leave before my dad comes home, sees my lips are green and threatens to pull you out of the Dream debuting lineup again."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


("Taeyong, did your son just eat 2 family-sized pizzas by himself?"

"He's a growing boy, Johnny. And you ate a whole pizza by yourself, so if anything, he's more your son than mine right now."

"Touché. Do you think this means he'll be hitting a growth spurt soon? Because in that case, we’ll need to get him new clothes."

"Oh, please no. If he does grow up, then only Hyuck will be shorter than me, and he's 6."

"I have a feeling Woo will be 180 at least."

"You really think our 16-year-old will magically grow 10 centimetres in the near future? Right. I'll record and upload a freestyle routine to Youtube if he grows to be any taller than 175."

"...do I get to choose the song for that freestyle routine?"

"Johnny Seo, shut up and keep loading the dishwasher.")


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello!  
> I've been incredibly motivated by the amount of love this story (and the entire series, really) has received, so here's chapter 2, in which I managed to write a lot and barely input plot at the end lol.  
> I hope you guys like it, and I'll see you for the next chapter!!

"Jungwoo, are you getting taller?" 

"I don't think so, Uncle Yuta."

"Then you need to start eating more, kid, we measured these clothes a month ago and they look really loose on you right now."

"We've been having lots of dance rehearsals, maybe that's why." Jungwoo pointed out, and Yuta nodded, patting his shoulder.

"That's ok, just make sure you eat all your meals and I'm sure it'll fix itself. I'll tell Ten to not overwork you, guys. Felix was all cheeks when he first arrived and he has really slimmed down. We need to make sure you kids are getting properly fed and not overworked."

"Don't worry, Uncle Yuta, we're not being overworked! Also, Felix was a baby when he first started training, of course, he lost a lot of baby fat on his cheeks."

"Yeah, yeah, I know. Go on, take that off and change back into your clothes, I'll go save Chan from his costume. I bet he's still trying to make sense of the zippers."

Jungwoo laughed and started changing the second Yuta closed the door, swiftly going back to his training gear.

Maybe Yuta was right and he had lost weight. He hadn't noticed how much he had to tighten the trouser's cord until that moment.

  
  
  


* * *

"Hello, Woo-Hyung."

Jungwoo squeaked and jumped from the shock, making Guanheng, Dejun and Yangyang laugh.

"I've told you a thousand times not to do that," Jungwoo rested his hand over his heart, trying to calm down.

"Do what?" All three answered in unison.

"That! The 'talking at the same time and saying the same thing' thing, It's extremely creepy."

"You're just a chicken, Ge."

"And you three just like bullying me. What are you doing here?"

"We have dance classes today."

"You do? On a Saturday?" 

"Baba has to supervise the trainee auditions today so Pa promised us we could come in and have a dance class if we promised to behave." Yangyang stepped forward to rest his head on Jungwoo's arm, and Jungwoo smiled at him, ruffling his hair playfully.

“And are you behaving?”

"We are! I promise!" Dejun pouted at him.

"I believe you Dejun-er. So, still want to train when your parents allow you to?"

"Yes! We want to be just like Lucas-Ge and you!" Guanheng smiled brightly.

"I have a better idea, come here." All three listened to him with wide eyes. "Be yourselves. That's far cooler than anything else, isn't it?" They all nodded. "Okay, come here, give me a hug before I go and try to get my boyfriend out of the studio he locked himself in with Chan-Hyung and Seungyoun-Hyung so we can go home."

  
  
  
  


* * *

Jungwoo chugged yet another bottle of water as he worked on his chemistry homework. It was getting hot outside, and Jungwoo was constantly thirsty and sweating like crazy. He kept refilling his bottle throughout the day, and he was lucky Taeyong hadn't commented on it yet. 

His father had sat him down at some point after the wardrobe test. That conversation had been incredibly awkward. Jungwoo had to reassure Taeyong that no, he was not being overworked, no, he was not purposefully trying to lose weight or get thinner, and no, he wasn't having any mental health issues as he got closer to debut. Yes, he was anxious, but any teenager about to debut in a group that came from the same label as two of the biggest groups in the industry would be.

Jungwoo shook his head. He couldn't believe he was concerned they were overworking them. NCTEnt was one of the few companies that actually took care of their artists and trainees. They made sure they could take breaks, get proper sleep, eat and keep healthy. 

Woojin and Seungyoun had told them horror stories about other companies they had trained under, from the weight checks to make sure they were losing weight, to the insane training schedule they had to follow, to being mistreated by trainers and managers. The first time Woojin had seen Lucas, Jungwoo, Chan and Felix banter with Ten and Johnny he had gone so pale everyone was worried he was going to pass out. 

Jungwoo was lucky his family's company actually cared about them as people instead of only seeing them as prospective money makers.

  
  
  
  


* * *

"Lee Jungwoo, how many sandwiches have you eaten today?" Jungwoo froze mid-bite, looking at Johnny with wide eyes. "Seriously, baby, you're like a bottomless pit. You keep eating so much."

"Sorry, dad. I'm just really really hungry when we're done with dance practice, and I can't stop eating."

"As long as you don't make yourself sick, it's okay, baby. But please tell someone if something is wrong." Johnny sat next to his son, groaning as he lowered himself. "Ugh, I'm too old to sit on the floor."

"You're not, dad." Jungwoo swallowed the last bite of sandwich he had left and rested his head on Johnny's chest, quickly being enveloped in a hug. "You're not too old to sit on the floor, just like I'm never too old for cuddles."

"I'm glad we're skipping the 'I'm too cool to hang out with my dad' stage of adolescence."

"That's never going to happen because you and Appa are the coolest people I know." 

  
  
  
  


* * *

Lucas' hand caressed up and down his back as they lay together on the sofa watching some Chinese drama Lucas was currently obsessed with. They were the only ones home: Johnny and Donghyuck were at the doctor's for a regular check-up and Taeyong was still at the company, working with the Red Velvet girls as they rehearsed for a special collaboration stage.

"Hey, Woowoo..."

"Hmm?" Jungwoo was more asleep than awake at that point, Lucas' gentle caresses just making him even sleepier. 

"Are you sure you're okay? I just..."

"What's wrong, Xuxi?"

"I just realised I can feel every bone in your spine under your shirt, Woo, and it's scaring me."

Jungwoo tried to shake the tiredness away, and sat up, lacing his fingers with Lucas'.

"Hey, no, it's okay, I'm fine. I'm kinda tired, but we've been rehearsing a lot, so it's understandable." Lucas bit his lip, and Jungwoo raised a hand to pry it away from between his teeth, leaving a green stain on his skin. "Trust me. I would tell someone if something was wrong. I'm sleeping, I'm eating a shitton of food, I'm drinking a lot of water during the day, in fact, I drink so much that I keep having to go to the bathroom." Jungwoo guided Lucas' face down so he could drop a gentle kiss on his cheek. "I'm sure I'm just about to grow taller and this is my body getting ready for that. Trust me."

Lucas leaned down, resting nose against nose as he pecked his soulmate's lips.

"I do. I just love you so much I worry for you."

Jungwoo smiled before kissing him a little less gently, making Lucas whine and take a deep breath through his nose.

"Wang Yukhei."

They jumped apart in shock at the sudden noise, eyes widening when they saw Johnny standing a few metres away from them, Donghyuck giggling behind him.

"Mr Seo, sir!" 

"You better run back home in this instant and get your grubby paws off my son before I make sure you don't debut before you're forty."

Lucas stuttered, nodding wildly as he got up and started running towards the door.

"SEE YOU TOMORROW WOO, GOODBYE HYUCK, MR SEO!" He grabbed his shoes, not even bothering to put them on and almost collided with Taeyong as he opened the door. "See you tomorrow, Uncle Taeyong!"

Jungwoo pouted, and Donghyuck quickly rushed to hug his brother, patting his shoulder as if trying to console him.

"What happened here? Why did Lucas run out of the house like someone was chasing him?" Taeyong asked as he took his watch off.

"Woo-Hyung and Lucas-Hyung were kissing and Daddy told Lucas he was not debuting. Again." Donghyuck answered, and Johnny glared at him, making him giggle.

"Johnny Seo." Taeyong's voice made everyone in the room shiver. "Go to our room. I'll be right there." Johnny didn't even try to excuse himself, simply sighing and leaving the room, knowing nothing was going to get him out of that talk. "Woo-baby, Sunshine, think you two can manage to start the rice cooker and put the pot of kimchi stew that's in the fridge on the cooker to warm it up? I'll be right here to get the rest of dinner ready." They both nodded. "Good boys. I'll be right back." 

And with that, Taeyong left the room after giving them a soft smile, and they stayed silently cuddling on the sofa for a minute.

"Daddy is going to get scolded for being overprotective again, isn't he?"

"He certainly is, Hyukkie. C'mon, let's go, I'll handle the food, you set the table."

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


The air conditioner was on at full blast, but Jungwoo was still sweaty and tired, making his way up to his dad's office with Lucas to ask for a lift home. It was too hot outside to even think about walking home, not even as the sun started going down.

They nodded at Sunny before going inside.

"Hello, boys!" Taeyong greeted them from where he was sitting next to Kun and Doyoung on the sofa.

"Hi, Appa."

"Hello, Uncle Taeyong."

"Done with the practice already?" Kun questioned.

"Uncle Ten said he would wait for you in your office, Uncle Kun," Jungwoo explained, swallowing down the discomfort he felt. 

He had been feeling weird the entire day. 

No matter how much water he drank, he was still thirsty, he had been hungry the entire day, even ten minutes after they finished lunch where he had eaten three servings of food. He felt as if he hadn't slept in days when he had actually slept 11 hours that night. But still, he fought through it and finished practice. He was sure he would be okay once he got home and rested a bit, and if not, he would tell his parents the next morning. He had promised to tell someone if he wasn't feeling okay, after all. And he always kept his promises.

"Did you need anything?" Johnny asked, from behind the desk.

"We were wondering if anyone could drive us home? It's too hot outside and we're dead from dance practice," Lucas said with a hopeful smile on his face.

"Oh, of course! I was just heading to pick Donghyuck from Winwin, we can go get him and then go home," Taeyong answered, standing up. "We'll finish those stage plans tomorrow, rememb..."

Jungwoo was sure his father was still talking. His sight was a little blurry, but he could swear Taeyong's mouth was still moving, but he couldn't hear anything over the ringing in his ears. 

The dizziness hit him all of a sudden, and the world started going in and out of focus as he tried to say something.

"I... Xuxi..."

He didn't get to say anything more, though. He reached out towards Lucas, trying to lean onto him, but couldn't do much else before everything tilted before his world went black.


	3. Interlude: Lucas

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> New update incoming!  
> Shorter one today, as we look at things from Lucas' POV (and I gather courage to deal with the mess I wrote myself into lol), so I hope you guys like it!

"Want me to drive you home, kid? You really need to go get some rest."

Lucas looked away from the hand he was holding to find Johnny standing in front of him. He shook his head.

"I can't leave him, Mr Seo. You know he wouldn't leave if it was me."

Johnny sighed, rubbing Lucas' shoulder in an effort to comfort him. 

"I'll go call Jackson and tell him you're staying, then. But you need to promise to go home and sleep the second he wakes up." Lucas nodded, and Johnny patted his back before leaving the room. 

It was extremely quiet; only the steady beeping coming from the cardiac monitor broke the silence. It made Lucas anxious.

He kept Jungwoo's hand in his, thumb constantly running up and down the back of it, reinforcing the emerald green stain on the thin, delicate skin.

Staring at Jungwoo made his heart hurt. He looked tiny as he lay in the bed, pale, sweaty and unmoving. He was so still, Lucas kept looking at the rise and fall of his chest to make sure he was still breathing. 

Lucas bit back the tears for the millionth time that evening. He couldn't believe he hadn't done anything. He had known there was something wrong with Jungwoo, yet he had allowed him to get bad enough to end up in the hospital, surrounded by a bunch of machines and with things sticking and poking at him that Lucas couldn't even name.

He had realised weeks ago something was not right. Jungwoo had started drinking water like a madman, blaming the hot weather when asked. No one had questioned him because yes, it was hot as hell outside and everyone was melting. He had been tired all the time, always wanting to nap and rest, even when they had done nothing at all during a rest day. 

Lucas had felt him go from a healthy weight to being barely skin and bones in his arms every time he hugged him, yet he had believed Jungwoo when he said nothing was wrong.

Everything was wrong.

If nothing were wrong, he wouldn't have had to see his boyfriend go paler than he ever thought possible and fall like a ton of bricks, his head bouncing on the floor with a sickening thud as everyone froze in shock.

If nothing were wrong, Jungwoo wouldn't be lying unconscious in a hospital bed as doctors tried to figure out what was wrong with him.

  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


"You should try to sleep a little, sweetheart." Lucas felt Taeyong's hand running through his hair, and forced himself to look at him. Jungwoo's father looked like terrible, red splotches on his face letting Lucas know he had probably been crying pretty recently. "It's 4 AM sweetheart, you need to rest." 

Lucas shook his head stubbornly and went back to resting his head on top of his boyfriend's bony hand, looking at his face to make sure he was still there. Still alive.

"Can't, Uncle Taeyong."

"Try, at least. That's all I'm asking. You've been sitting here for 12 hours, sweetheart, and you spent half of yesterday on dance practice, you must be tired."

"Did they say anything?" Taeyong sighed, walking around the bed and sitting down on the chair Johnny had vacated about ten minutes ago when Taeyong had arrived after finally making Donghyuck fall asleep.

"They think they know what it is, but we'll get a more definitive answer in the morning. They still have to run a few tests on him, and they're waiting for him to wake up."

"Why isn't he waking up?" Lucas couldn't stop the few tears that rolled down his cheeks.

"They said it's because of how he hit his head when he fell. But he'll wake up soon, Lucas. Have faith." Taeyong caressed his son's arm gently, taking care not to disturb any of the tubes connected to him, sighed, and stood up. "I'll go get myself a cup of coffee, do you want anything?" Lucas shook his head. "Okay, I'll be right back."

Jungwoo was still unconscious, pale and unnaturally still. 

Lucas chewed on his lower lip, anxiety starting to climb up and make him dizzy with worry.

"Woo, please wake up soon. I don't think I know how to exist without you here with me." The cardiac monitor's beeps were all he got as an answer. "I love you, Woo. You need to wake up to see how pretty the green looks on your hand today. I'll keep it there for you until you wake up."

  
  
  


Lucas had spent time away from his soulmate before when they visited his Baba's family in Hong Kong or spent a few weeks in his grandparents' house in America. But even though Jungwoo was right there, lying in front of him, this was the most Lucas had ever missed him since they had first met and become inseparable.

Jungwoo needed to wake up, get better and go back to normal.

Lucas didn't think he could last a day without Jungwoo's smile.

Lucas didn't want to have to find out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have CC now, so drop by and ask me something! [Click here to entertain a poor, unfortunate, bored soul](https://curiouscat.qa/K1mHeechu1)


	4. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I said there were going to be 4 chapters.  
> I lied... oops? Sorry, next chapter will probably be the last one.  
> There's a special cameo in this chapter, I'll give a cookie to the person that guesses who it is irl!  
> I hope you enjoy this chapter, and I'll see you for the next one!

There were only two things Jungwoo could focus on when he first woke up. The first one was the annoying beeping he kept hearing; the second one, the tingles going up his arm. 

As he became more coherent, he started noticing other things, like the hushed whisper of voices speaking words he couldn't really make out, the throbbing feeling on the side of his head, and the lack of familiar smells around him. He raised his hand to try and see what was resting under his nose. It made him itchy.

Someone stopped him before he could actually get a grip on it and pull.

"No, Woo, leave that alone, it's a nasal cannula, it's helping you."

Jungwoo whined. It was uncomfortable. He wanted it off.

He forced himself to open his eyes, whining louder as he was attacked by the harsh lights and instantly closing them again. More quiet words, the noise of someone moving around.

"Hey, baby, the light's gone. Come on, let me see those pretty eyes of yours." 

He knew that voice.

"Appa..." A gentle hand caressed his cheek. "Appa... what..."

"Shh, it's okay. Come on, open your eyes." Jungwoo tried again, and this time he was able to open them wide enough to see his father standing next to him, visibly tired but with a relieved smile on his face. "That's my baby. Hi Woo."

"Appa, where are we?"

"We're in the hospital, baby. You fainted and hit your head pretty hard yesterday." Jungwoo's eyes widened, and Taeyong quickly calmed him down, "It's okay, Woo, you'll be okay. They're going to be running tests to see what's wrong with you, baby. Dad went to get the doctor, so calm down." 

Jungwoo looked away from his father and gasped as he saw the figure sleeping beside him, body half lying on the bed, half on the chair, hand encasing Jungwoo's even in his sleep.

"Xuxi?" 

Taeyong sighed, an exasperated smile on his face.

"He hasn't moved from your side except for bathroom breaks since you were first brought in. We wanted to make him go home but we gave up after the tenth try." Jungwoo smiled softly and tried to move his hand away from Lucas' grasp, which only made his boyfriend tighten his hold, making him chuckle softly. He looked at Taeyong with a pleading face. "I'll wake him up for you, and then I'll go see why your father's taking so long, don't worry."

Taeyong walked around the bed and gently shook Lucas' shoulder, making him jump in alarm.

"Wha-what happened?" Taeyong simply motioned at Jungwoo, and Lucas gasped when he saw he was awake. "Woo! Oh my god, are you okay? Does anything hurt? How do you feel? Is there anything you need? Oh my god. Wait, what time is it? Woo..." Lucas leaned forward, eyes frantically going over Jungwoo's face.

"Hi, Xuxi. Calm down, I'm okay." Lucas deflated at his words, closing his eyes in relief.

"You..." Jungwoo felt his heart squeeze as he saw tears fall down Lucas' cheeks. "You were so pale, and you fell and then you wouldn't wake up. They wouldn't tell me what's wrong with you."

"I'm here Xuxi. I'm awake, and I'm here. Calm down." Jungwoo looked down and smiled softly at the green painting his hand.

"I kept it green for you. I didn't let go at all, I kept it green because you were so white I had to keep the colour on you to know you would be okay." Lucas let go of his hand, and Jungwoo gasped at how the emerald didn't instantly disappear from his skin.

He had seen that happen before when his parents first woke up in the morning, and Taeyong would have the entire right side of his face painted pink, and Johnny would have big pink stain over his neck and collarbone, and it would take a long time to fade because of how long their soulbond had been active. He had never seen it on his own skin, until that moment, and he had to admit to himself that it made him feel warm and fuzzy inside.

"Thanks, Xuxi. It's beautiful."

"You look lovely in green, Woo." Jungwoo rolled his eyes at Lucas' words, and instantly closed them and took a deep breath. "Woo, you okay?"

"Dizzy."

"That would be the head injury." They both jumped when they heard the unknown voice. "Hello, Jungwoo, my name is Lee Chihoon and I'm your doctor for the time being."

Jungwoo muttered a hello, still dizzy.

"Lucas, sweetheart, come with me, I'll take you home so you can rest now that the doctor is with Jungwoo, okay?" Taeyong put his hand on Lucas' shoulders, and Lucas went to protest, but Jungwoo smiled softly at him.

"Go. Sleep. I'll be here later." Lucas bit his lip, but nodded slowly and allowed himself to be pulled away from him and out of the room.

Johnny smiled at his son, taking the chair Lucas had just emptied.

"Well, I'm going to draw some blood so we can run some tests now that you're awake, and then I'll check on your head, how does that sound?"

"Okay."

Doctor Lee worked efficiently, making Jungwoo surprised at how little it hurt when the needle went in, and he was done in no time. He put a small adhesive bandage to stop the bleeding and then started checking on Jungwoo's head.

He used a small flashlight and made Jungwoo follow it with his eyes, checked the spot Jungwoo had felt throbbing before and pressed down a little, making Jungwoo whine in pain.

"Well, the good news is that somehow, the blow to the head was strong enough to knock you out for quite a while, but there's no visible signs of concussion. I still want to do a CT scan just to rule out any possible bleeding or swelling, but I'm pretty confident with rest and medication to manage the pain until the bump goes away, you'll be alright." Jungwoo nodded slowly. "Has anything changed recently? Especially considering eating and exercise habits."

"I'm an idol trainee, so I spend a good part of the day dancing, but that's all I do for exercise. And I eat a lot, my dad can verify."

"He does, he eats all the time, eats even more that I do," Johnny confirmed, rubbing his hand up and down Jungwoo's arm. "He also drinks a lot of liquid."

"You said he weighed 58 kilos, right?" They both nodded. "Well, we have estimated his weight to be closer to 50 right now, so the abrupt weight loss is extremely concerning, considering how much you say you eat. We're going to run tests for a few different options that could be causing the weight loss, considering the preliminary results from the basic blood work we did when you arrived. We're currently looking at pancreas-related health issues, so we'll check thoroughly and see what steps need to be taken moving forward." Doctor Lee smiled at him, making Jungwoo smile a little at the contagious, bright grin directed his way. "I'll be back to check on you in a few hours, once we have the blood work results. I'll tell your nurse to take the nasal cannula off, you don't need it anymore, and bring you breakfast. Please eat and then rest, okay? I'll see you later."

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

"Woo."

Jungwoo looked up, away from the empty tray of food, and Johnny smiled at him, raising a hand to comb his fringe away from his face.

"Yes, dad?" 

"I'm sorry we didn't notice anything was wrong, baby. I'm so, so sorry." 

Johnny looked awfully tired, and Jungwoo was sure he hadn't slept at all, even when he had gone home to check on Donghyuck for a few hours before he dropped him off at Yuta's. 

"Dad, it's okay. I didn't even notice anything was wrong myself. I thought I was just going to grow taller or maybe I was anxious about the debut and that's why something was weird."

"I just..." Johnny's eyes got cloudy with tears, and Jungwoo quickly grabbed his hand, squeezing his fingers in reassurance. "Son, how did I not notice your weight loss? You look like a war prisoner, you're all skin and bones, your beautiful cheeks are gone, how did I not notice that before a doctor pointed it out?"

"Dad, it's okay. Really. Now we know something was wrong. And the doctors will figure out what it was and then everything will go back to normal, okay?" Jungwoo's tears rolled down his cheeks as he smiled at his father.

"Well, look at us, I'm your dad and you're the one in the hospital bed, yet you're the one that's calming me down. When did you grow up so much?" Johnny dried Jungwoo's tears with his shirt sleeve, and they both chuckled.

"Can I have some cuddles? Please. I'm never too grown-up for cuddles."

Johnny smiled, and stood up.

"Of course you can have cuddles. Come on, move forward a little, I'll sit behind you, so you can lean on me while you rest."

Jungwoo did as he was told, and Johnny removed the pillow before sitting down on the bed and cradling Jungwoo in his arms, cradling Jungwoo in his arms with care, gently supporting his son's head on his chest.

"I love you, dad."

"I love you too, kiddo."

  
  
  
  


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(Taeyong totally didn't take 500 pictures of his boys cuddling in the hospital bed, deeply asleep.

Lucas totally didn't fall in love with the soft smile on Jungwoo's sleeping face all over again.

Donghyuck totally did climb in bed with them and instantly went to sleep.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have CC now, so drop by and ask me something! [Click here to entertain a poor, unfortunate, bored soul](https://curiouscat.qa/K1mHeechu1)


	5. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end of this story!   
> Someone on CC got it right, so I'll leave the answer here: Doctor Lee is, in fact, and Onew cameo, as it is the name of his DotS character lol. Anon, whoever you are, you've earned yourself a drabble for this verse!! Please claim it in the comments, on Twitter or CC!!   
> Thank you all for reading, and I'll see you for the next story, in which we'll switch it up a little, hihihi.  
> ♥ ♥ ♥

"This one's for Jungwoo, @jenny_127 wants to know what’s the bump that can be seen on your stomach lately when you wear tight shirts," Chan said from where he was sitting between Jungwoo and Seungyoun, monitoring comments from his phone.

"Oh, that's just my pump. I need it to be able to live normally." Jungwoo shrugged as he answered.

"Wow, Woo, I think you need to reassure the fans that you're not going to keel over and die because the comments are going mental." Seungyoun's eyes widened at the sudden influx of comments asking for Jungwoo's wellbeing.

"Oh, don't worry guys, I'm okay!" Jungwoo tried to reassure their viewers, and Woojin chuckled at him, Felix hiding his face into his sweater paws to avoid laughing out loud at how panicked Jungwoo looked at the moment. "I'm diabetic, so I have to use an insulin pump." 

"Do you feel up to explaining more about it?" Chan asked gently, and Jungwoo shrugged and nodded.

"Sure, it's not like it's a secret." He looked at Lucas and got a thigh squeeze in return. "Ok so, the team had been set to debut a few months before we actually debuted. Nothing had been announced yet, but we had a tentative date that had to be pushed back because I had health issues." 

"He was losing a lot of weight, it was kinda scary just how skinny he was getting," Woojin added, and everyone nodded.

"Yeah. I lost weight, was constantly thirsty, tired, hungry, and felt awful overall, but I thought it was just nerves because of the debut getting closer. Well, it wasn't, and I felt a little bad and had to go to the hospital." 

Lucas rolled his eyes and interrupted.

"What he means by 'felt a little bad' is that he passed out and had to be rushed to the hospital. Everyone had a collective heart attack. It was really scary."

"Anyway, they did some tests and poked and prodded at me and then told me I had diabetes type 1. That means my pancreas doesn't produce insulin so my blood sugar gets super out of control. Your blood sugar should normally sit anywhere from 80 to 130, and mine was at 912 when I got to the hospital, so that's obviously not good."

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

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_ "Am I going to die?" Everyone's heads snapped up to look at Jungwoo, who was playing with Lucas' fingers, doing his best to avoid their eyes. _

_ "Baby, no!" Taeyong got up instantly, hugging his son's head tightly against his stomach. Jungwoo buried his nose in his shirt, smelling that calming scent that only his father had. "Stop thinking like that. Stop it. You'll be okay. They're going to find what's wrong and you'll be okay." _

_ "Appa, I'm scared." He felt Lucas' fingers intertwine with his own, squeezing his grip reassuringly. _

_ "I know baby. But we'll be here." _

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  


_ "Hello, Jungwoo." Doctor Lee smiled at him, nodding at Taeyong, who was sitting by the bed. Johnny had left to take Lucas and Donghyuck home to rest since the doctor didn’t seem to be coming anytime soon. Well, curse his timing. "The test results are back, and we have a diagnosis." Jungwoo's eyes widened in fear, and he squeezed his father's hand tightly. "Just as we suspected from the first results we got, your blood sugar levels were completely out of control, and the tests we ran today show us that you are diabetic. What first got you in here was a complication with the way your body is breaking down sugar, called diabetic ketoacidosis." _

_ "Diabetes? isn't that an old people's thing?" Jungwoo asks quietly. _

_ "Not really. There are two types of diabetes: type 1 and type 2. Type 2 is the one you're thinking of, it happens when the pancreas produces insulin, but it doesn't work properly or the amount is too small, so glucose starts to accumulate in the bloodstream, and it's normally the type older people and people with obesity problems develop. Type 1 on the other hand, which is the one you have, happens when your own immune system destroys the cells in your pancreas that produce insulin, and thus the pancreas is unable to produce it or produces a really insignificant amount. _

_ "Insulin is a hormone that makes glucose, which is a type of sugar that's basically an energy source for muscles and other tissues, enter the cells, lowering the blood sugar levels in your bloodstream. In a healthy body, both sugar and insulin levels rise and fall in cycles. But since your body doesn't produce insulin, the sugar has nowhere to go and it starts to build up in your bloodstream.  _

_ "Now, since your body has no way to feed your cells with sugar because there's no insulin to allow it to go into them, it began to break down fat to use that as fuel, which is a process known as ketosis. This ketosis state produces acids known as ketones. If the ketones build up, it leads to something called diabetic ketoacidosis. A combination of high blood sugar levels and diabetic ketoacidosis is the reason you passed out.” _

_ "But, it's treatable, right?" Taeyong asked, fingers combing through Jungwoo's hair to try and calm, himself more than Jungwoo, down.  _

_ "We're currently diluting the ketones in his blood by giving him fluids and electrolytes, and that's going to make the acids buildup go away." Doctor Lee's smile dimmed a little. "But diabetes is a chronic illness, which means you'll have it for the rest of your life." _

_ "I'm going to be an idol," Jungwoo exclaimed, panicked, "Can I still be an idol? Can I still dance?" _

_ "Yes, don't worry. You'll have to make some lifestyle changes, and I'll talk you through them, but if you watch what you eat, exercise, take insulin and monitor your blood sugar, you'll be able to live a completely normal life." Jungwoo deflated in relief at Doctor Lee's words. "Now, your blood sugar was at 912 when you got here, which is about nine times higher than the normal level, but we've been monitoring it and we're slowly getting it back down. We'll keep you here a few more days to make sure there are no complications from that or from the head injury, and to create a plan for you to manage your diabetes and learn how to measure your blood sugar and to use the insulin, okay?" _

_ "Yes, I understand," Jungwoo answered, and Taeyong nodded. _

_ "Great, I'll let you process things now. I'll be back in a few hours to go over the changes you need to make in your diet. I'll see you both later." Doctor Lee gave them another gentle smile before leaving the room. _

_ "Baby..." Taeyong said gently, and Jungwoo's shoulders started shaking. "Oh, Woo-ah..." _

_ "Appa... I'm not dying. I can still debut." Jungwoo gasped through his tears, making Taeyong hug him tightly. "But I'm still ill. I'll have this thing for the rest of my life." _

_ "Oh, baby, don't worry. We'll figure this out together, son. You, me, your dad, Hyuckie, Lucas, the rest of the family, your team... we'll do this together. Everyone will be there for you, okay?" _

_ Jungwoo nodded, nuzzling his face into his father's stomach. _

  
  
  
  
  


* * *

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"Someone whose name I can't read because I don't read Chinese characters, " The entire group laughed at Chan, Jungwoo and Lucas rolling their eyes at him, "asks: how do you manage to live such a busy life with it?"

"Oh, at first, it was hard. I had mad mood swings during the time I was learning how to manage my insulin and blood sugar, but it's been 3 years and I've learned to listen to my body's queues. The guys have helped me a lot as well."

"We all learned about diabetes, how blood sugar affected his behaviour and how to help Jungwoo-ah in case he needed it." Seungyoun explained, "There was a point where I think we knew when he was too high or too low even before he realised."

"Yeah, once we learned the tell-tales, it was easier to look out for Woo-Hyung," Felix added, smiling at the camera.

"At first I injected insulin manually, but now I have an Omnipod, which is an insulin pump, that helps me manage my diabetes, and I check my blood sugar about 10 to 12 times a day on a normal day." 

"They're asking if they can see the pump," Chan commented, and Jungwoo looked behind the camera at his dad, who was monitoring from where he sat next to their managing team, asking for permission. 

He got a nod that he interpreted as 'it's your call', so he got up and lifted his shirt a little to show the pump attached to his lower stomach.

"This is the Omnipod. It's not a big thing, really." He quickly sat back down and leaned his body against Lucas for support, intertwining their fingers even though he knew the sight of their soul bond would send their fans into a frenzy.

Seungyoun, being the amazing leader he was, knew it was time to redirect the attention away from Jungwoo.

"Oh, Lix-ah! Someone wants to see the mosquito impression again!"

They all groaned as Felix laughed, but Jungwoo inwardly thanked whatever higher being had given him such a wonderful group to be a part of. 

He couldn't ask for a better life, doing what he loved with his best friends and his soulmate, with the support of his entire family.

If he had told 11-years-old Jungwoo he'd have such an amazing life and be surrounded with so many people that loved him, he wouldn't have believed this would be his life.

  
  
  
  
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


("Woo-ah, stop squishing your brother to death"

"Aww, but dad! Look at him, he looks so cute!"

"Hyung! I can't feel my cheeks!"

"That's what you get for saying you'll be in a better group than me. No group could be better than 127"

"Remind me why we allowed you boys to convince us Dream was not the right fit for your group and switch the name to 127"

"Because you know we were right. You can save the Dream name for Hyuckie's group."

"Are we going to be a family of idols, now? Yongie, your son is bullying me!"

"Am not!"

"Are too!"

"Dad, Hyungie is not doing anything!"

"Hyuckie, how can you betray me like this!?"

"... Johnny Seo, I swear to God. I did not sign up to raise three children."

"You love us."

"Yeah, yeah, I do. Now, everyone back to work! Johnny, the laundry won't do itself. Jungwoo, go refill your pod, it's been 72 hours already and you should do it before dinner. Hyuckie, don't think I don't know you haven't done your algebra homework yet."

  
  
  


"Hyung, Appa is really scary when he's in drill sergeant mode, isn't he?"

"You haven't seen Appa in drill sergeant mode until you had dance practice at 8 AM, Hyuck. Believe me.")

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have CC now, so drop by and ask me something! [Click here to entertain a poor, unfortunate, bored soul](https://curiouscat.qa/K1mHeechu1)

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/K1mHeechu1) (plz, I need more Twitter friends! It'd be nice to have more people to talk to!) and [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/k1mheechu1/)


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